LWN Feature Article. The Story of an Implementation covers the deployment of Linux in Jan III Sobieski
Hotel - one of the biggest, most luxurious and prestigious hotel
facilities in Poland. We were pleased with the oportunity to run
this translation of an article originally from Polish Linux Magazine -
Linux Plus 02/2000 because it not only gives a great example of
the strengths of Linux, but also of the issues faced by people
working with software and operating systems outside the United
States and Western Europe -- issues of language support, for
example, and more. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

The Linux Desktop: The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.
This particular week brought a couple of announcements that, together,
have given us a new-level of optimism for the future of Linux on the
desktop.

The first of the two announcements that caught our eye was
the formation of LUIGUI, the Linux/UNIX
Independent
Group for Usability Information, discussed in more detail in
this
Linux Journal article. They plan on evaluating the growing
variety of user-interface options currently available for Linux
and applying methods used by human-computer interaction professionals
and computer interface design specialists to combine them to form
the ``ideal'' standard interface for Linux and then advocate it to
the Linux community.

The second announcement caught the attention of the press all over.
After all, it made for good headlines and interesting copy to
talk about "an old team of Macintosh programmers" coming over to
Linux to show us how to make a truly friendly desktop. Digging
in a little bit deeper, though, and there really is some substance
behind the hype.

Eazel, Inc is bringing
Michael Boich, Andy Hertzfeld and Bud Tribble, all of whom were part of the
original Apple Macintosh team, to work on making Linux accessible
to mainstream desktop users. However, they aren't just walking in
and starting yet another new project. Instead, they've come into
this inspired by the work they already saw being planned and implemented
by the Gnome team and wanting to be a part of it.
"'We have gathered a uniquely qualified group of software architects,
Linux experts and industry veterans to tackle the issue of Linux usability
on the desktop,' said Michael
Boich, president and CEO of Eazel. 'Our goal isn't to recreate what we did
15 years ago. It's to combine a next generation desktop with Internet-based
services to
deliver a superior user experience.'"

From this
week's Gnome Summary, we hear that they've actually been working on
the Nautilus file manager for several months without an announcement.
The Gnome team is excited to have them, as well. It is a story of
youthful enthusiasm (and expertise) meeting experience (and hopefully
wisdom :-) and bringing the potential of a whole much greater than
the sum of its parts.

Of course, these aren't the only two projects out there trying to
address issues so that Linux can truly become an operating system
for everyone, instead of just for the technically elite. However,
they have opened a vision, not just of a Linux desktop that is
useable for the end-user, but very possibly the ultimate and best
desktop that the end-user has ever had available.

Report from Bangalore IT.COM 99.
A much delayed, lengthy and fun report from the November Bangalore IT.COM 99
conference is now available.
It is a great way to learn a bit about the excitement that Linux is
creating in other countries. "The fourth day was the day of the
triumph of the Linux India stall. Everyday the crowds had been
increasing. Well, on the fourth day all hell broke loose. We truly
had completely unmanageable crowds. People kept streaming in an
unending queue. As another sidelight, that day our pavilion had the
largest queue in the entire exhibition. "

IEEE Opposes UCITA.
The IEEE has published a
"Position
paper" opposing states' adoption of UCITA. It provides a nice,
concise summary of the problems with this bill.
Into the existing and evolving legal and business situation,
UCITA would inject an ironclad statutory framework that is very easy to
abuse to the serious detriment of consumers, large business users, and
small business users of computer software, software developers, computer
consultants and the general public.
(Found through
Red Rock Eater News Service.)

Speakers for Colorado Linux Info Quest announced.
The Colorado Linux Info Quest,
happening in Denver on April 1, 2000, has
announced its first two speakers: Jon
'maddog' Hall and Dave Whitinger. LWN is one of the sponsors
of this event and Liz Coolbaugh is the Board member responsible
for speakers, so you can be confident that we'll keep you apprised
as the event approaches. Jon and Dave are only the first two of
what is shaping up to be an impressive line-up of speakers for a one-day
show.